In 1999 Dr Steve Patterson joined Prof Frances Gotch’s Immunology Department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as an MRC Team Leader. His group continues work on the role of dendritic cells (DCs) in HIV pathogenesis and has initiated new work aimed at providing the scientific basis for the development of an HIV vaccine. 

Currently, the group comprises 3 post doctoral scientists, 4 PhD students and a project manager. Its current research efforts are focussed predominantly in the area of DC biology and HIV vaccine development. The group benefits from the diverse expertise of its members, both at post-doctoral and at PhD student level,  which covers research areas such as immunology, gene therapy, vector development and electron microscopy.

The group’s recent work has shown that in HIV-infected patients there is a progressive loss of blood myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs. The former are the precursors of tissue Langerhans cells and interstitial DCs and the latter are precursors of cells that are the main producers of interferon alpha. Both DC populations were shown to be susceptible to HIV infection in vitro. Recent studies in which the two DC populations have been purified from the blood of HIV-infected patients have shown that HIV infection is associated with impaired T cell stimulatory capacity by both types of DC and current work aims to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved.

The group benefits from an active collaboration with a large routine diagnostic immunology laboratory that services the largest HIV clinic in Europe. The academic department is also well equipped for molecular biology, cellular immunology and HIV work. The London International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) Core Laboratory is also an integral part of the department.

Dr Patterson has been awarded a $9.2 million by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation for the 'Optimization and Efficacy of a Transcutaneous "Stealth" Adenovirus Vector Vaccine for Mucosal Protection Against HIV'. This 5-year project commenced on July 2006.